Am I entitled to ask if my employer has screwed me over?

I couldn't think of a more eloquent way of phrasing my thread title but my problem is thus - I recently applied for an internal position at work ( fairly big company 1000 employees) I went through a fairly lengthy interview process, and I know I got down to the last two.

Now, I didn't get the job but I know that the person who did is less qualified than me. Am I in any way entitled to ask them to show me how they scored me vs the other guy?

Having been in the position of having to interview and select folk, I'd also point out that you wouldn't be the first to feel aggrieved at what they felt was an unfair selection process. I've been accused of all sorts of prejudice - none of it justified.

I just accepted a post which I know for a fact had a more immediately qualified applicant- they took me on because they thought I was the right person and could be trained up, whereas she's the wrong person despite being already trained. It's not just an arms race.

Ask for feedback if you wish but do be prepared for it to be hot air, it always has been for me, even after interviews where I knew I'd made an arse of it I've always had polite nothings.

It is highly unlikely you will be able to prove they "screwed" you over unless they are really stupid
Approach it as a learning experience rather than trying to find out why they screwed you over

I feel your pain but the whole point was too choose someone and it was not you. It will be difficult to prove it was anything other than fair and you will possibly look like a "bad" employee in future promotions

Your Union rep

I've been accused of all sorts of prejudice - none some of it justified.

I've already asked for feedback and not received it. I suppose to be more specific then, what I need to know is do they have any legal obligation to be transparent?

I can understand why the most qualified person (on paper) is not always a dead cert but in this instance I know the job was mine until my line manager prevented me from getting it. This has not been relayed to me, but I know it's the case. He also made a rhetorical remark when I applied warning me that he could prevent me from progressing.

they can easily defend it by saying you are unhappy as you did not get the job and saying you are just blaming me and see I told you I was correct about them etc depending on what was said

You are highly unlikely to get the outcome you wish or prove it even though you may well be right
it will more than likely harm you within the organsaition but if you wish to pursue the issue with their superior and use the formal complaints procedure then I wish you luck.

What makes you think you were screwed over? You applied for a new job and you didn't get it, someone else did. Sorry but there is nothing in your OP to suggest that the process or outcome was unfair in any way.

But, I would expect that any reasonable employer to provide you with open honest and constructive feedback as to your interview or test performance etc etc.

When you say the successful applicant was less qualified than you, you need to ask yourself, precisely what you mean by that and why you say it. I am not trying so sound like and ass (admittedly not doing a very good job), but it is a simple expression that we all use and it has just struck me that I don't really know what it means.

It is your perception of the situation and not necessarily the truth, do you really understand what skills your employer was looking for?

In many companies and roles today so much more emphasis is being placed on core behavioural demonstrative competencies, than 10 or 15 years ago. Not true for all jobs, but true for many especially if no professional qualification is required (e.g. accountant, HR, procurement, plumber, welder etc etc).

It is often the softer skills that are most valued. Now I may be wrong but when people state that they were more qualified than person X then for me they may have completely missed the point.

If they do not want you they will have million of ways to justify their answers.

To be frank ... it is a waste of time.

On the other hand if you want to have some explosive fun then by all means kick up a big fuss ... shout, swear, scream, or point a Benneli M4 at your boss head and pull the trigger to (make sure the chamber is blank first) see him shite him/herself ... that would be fun.

Sorry. I'm really not coming across the way I'd like to. I am naturally disappointed that you feel you have been let down and I can understand your looking around for someone or something to blame. It's a natural reaction. However, I really don't see that there is anything you can reasonably do about it. It's certainly worth asking the interviewer/selector for some feedback. Just try to do it in a more humble fashion than the way you are coming across here. If you approach it with an open mind, you might learn something to your advantage.

Because they lied to me. And I invest my time and money in applying for the other post. And I obviously wanted the job and believe I been treated unfairly.

I am trying to gauge where I stand before going any further. I don't see why I should just roll over and say yeah, nice one guys, you f888ed my career....I'll just sit here and smile?!

They the company you work for PAID you a wage and are continuing to pay you a wage, for whaytevr reason you failed to get the promotion, and somebody else did, THATS LIFE, it happens a lot, from the above experience try to learn or move to another company, there are a lot of fantasticly clevber people currently out of a job, worrying about how to pay the bills,to actually buy food and keep their family together.

Right. Thanks guys, I genuinely appreciate you all taking the time to post on my thread and give me advice. I realise that most of you, by telling me to get on with it, are trying to do me a favour and that it would be the wise (or certainly cautious) thing to do. I am also painfully aware that I should bite my tongue, however. If you could imagine for a minute ( buy into my delusion if you must) that I have been wronged.

I can't go into specifics on here but imagine if you will the role was for a personal trainer, which for the sake of the analogy I have been for ten years, and the person chosen is a 30 stone morbidly obese person who is housebound. Now, I'm using hyperbole but it is extremely black and white. It is, also, for clarity, not a job as a personal trainer. That's just my analogy. But imagine my frustration.

I will take on board your comments, and temper my actions. But I will take my opportunity to express my displeasure at the situation to my line managers head of department and hr as I will be speaking to them soon. I think some times in life you need to kick some ass, even if it means getting sh*t on your boot.

muddyfunster - Member
I will take on board your comments, and temper my actions. But I will take my opportunity to express my displeasure at the situation to my line managers head of department and hr as I will be speaking to them soon. completely ignore them